Hi, my name is Liz and I'm a shopping addict.
Well, more like a recovering shopping addict. At least I was in recovery until an ill-fated trip to Loehmann's last week.
But let me back up a little. For those of you that are regulars around here, you heard me bragging about my Cash & Carry financial plan a few months ago. And it wasn't bullsh*t-I had broken up with my Amex gold card last year and hadn't looked back since. Lately, I'm the one who has the cash when it's time to split the bill. And I no longer feel like puking when I log into American Express's website to check out my balance. However, I may have failed to mention the secret to my success. Something that I feared would be hard to keep up long term. A theory that I decided to test last week.
Long story short, I failed miserably.
It all started when those pesky little children of mine began to grow out of their clothes. I tried to ignore my daughter's tummy hanging out of her now too-short shirts and my son's flood pants. Because I knew that stepping one foot into that overpriced, pushy salesperson jungle of a store called Justice would undo all my hard work these past months. My dirty little secret? The only way I had been able to stop spending was to not step foot ANYWHERE that I love to shop for the past six months.
Target? It pained me, but I sent the hubs to stroll those glorious aisles.
Gap? Supervised online shopping only.
Loehmann's? I told myself those communal dressing rooms were terrible for my self-esteem.
And my strategy had been working damn well. But now a growth spurt threatened to ruin it all. Damn you children's multi-vitamins!
But being the Type-A beyotch I am, I was determined to come up with a solution. And 100,000 American Express points later, I had one. (One perk to my addiction:membership rewards!)
So armed with gift cards from every store the kids like, I was able to purchase clothes that fit without going over my husband-allotted cash allowance. But even being in the store was intoxicating. I started to remember what a high shopping always gave me. That feeling that my daughter just HAD to have those scratch and sniff jammies(WTF with those anyway?). I tried to ignore my shopping buzz and just get what they needed. But there was no mistake-the shopping beast had been awakened in me once more.
Fast forward to the next week that included my two BFs bdays as well as an hour to kill within spitting distance of the Beverly Hills Loehmanns. I told myself that I was only going in there for them. That they loved Loehmann's and I'd be a horrible friend if I didn't buy them something from there. But from the moment that I walked in, I was drunk with happiness at their selection of Calvin Klein dresses. High with the anticipation of wearing that straw fedora at the pool FOUR months from now when we went on vacay. Cracked out at the thought of shaking my ass in that Michael Kors skirt. And even though it made me feel slightly ill, I pulled out that gorgeous gold card and slapped it down for the cashier like the last six months had never happened.
I had officially fallen off the wagon.
Oh, but on a positive note, I did find Lisa something really cute for her bday!
That night, as I unsuccessfully tried to hide the bag from the hubs behind my ass (I haven't worked out much lately, thought it might work?!), I felt even worse. Sick with guilt and regretting my actions, wanting to eat carbs and greasy food-it was clear that I had the shopping hangover from hell.
So guess what? I'm taking all that sh*t back this week. And just like any addict, I'll start over again from day one. And even though I know it's the right thing to do, I still think I would've ROCKED that straw fedora by the pool. *sigh*
What are your addictions? Leave a comment and let me know! Or just make me feel better about mine.
xo, Liz